We the people are taking the power back, no longer will we stand by and allow our elected officials to be bought by corporations that do not have the best interests of the people in mind. We will continue to root out corrupt leaders and vote in new progressive leadership for change.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Education Management Corporation (EDMC), who operate the chain of Art Institutes, for $11 BILLION! So what about the parents and the 151,000+ students who attended during the years 2003 to 2011, who were innocent of the crimes committed? Would paying back the student loans make them accessories to the fraud? Making these parents and students pay monies that were intended for education, but were used for salaries and bonuses for executives in the company, is NOT in line with our Constitution. Consider THIS: Then-President (and now CEO) Edward West received $1,551,802 in compensation for 2009, $5,486,905 in compensation for 2010, and $6,355,982 in compensation for 2011. Then-CEO (and now Chairman) Todd Nelson received $1,812,996 in compensation for 2009, $3,804,121 in compensation for 2010, and $13 million in compensation for 2011. The year 2006 saw the takeover of EDMC by Goldman Sachs and its private equity partners. Source: Huffington Post article below. I enrolled in the Art Institute of Ohio - Cincinnati, sister college to the Art Institute of Chicago-Illinois, back in 2010 and wasn't able to graduated with a Bachelor in Cinematography. I, like many others, had been lured in by their claims of high employment ratings and being the first, therefore the best, school for Cinematography, and also making a claim of having the largest green screen room in the Midwest. This is far from the truth as many of the courses had only scratched the surface when it came to cinematography and or studio production and failed to provide the tools needed for the professional field, such as having enough equipment for multiple shoots. If there were multiple shoots on a desired day, there wouldn't be enough for different projects. I endured the same situation as Matt Bors in the Huffington Post article saying, "that many of the students in his classes had no talents to speak of, and it was clear that they would not be able to get jobs as artists or designers." This created an atmosphere not of creativity, but of confusion, discouragement, discontentment and low spirits. As they say, "If I only knew then what I know now" I never would have signed up my parents or myself for a $50,000 debt for a lack of education, only to find out that my enrollment directly contributed to the fraud. $11 BILLION seems quite unfathomable to students and parents now burdened by sums that are miniscule in comparison. I have paid money directly from my own pocket, even having financial aid advisers grab me out of classes as if asked to go to the principal's office to pay for this week's courses, contributing to this company's fraudulent action, and I refuse to pay a cent more, or let disciplinary action be taken on myself or my parents. Also, I worked with Career Services to assist with payments, so imagine having to manage coursework, homework, maintaining a part time job off campus, on-site shoots in various locations around Ohio and also work study, and then having watched the "WELCOME TO THE COMPANY" intro video seeing for a brief moment what this company actually does and how they manipulate countless people. There were also advisers who gave me a small insight about the SEQ FUND, which was a student need's basis fund for students who financially couldn't pay for school to tap into that pool of funding. So, if no student asked about that fund, the money from that fund is dispersed among the faculty and staff, avoiding its true intent of helping students pay for schooling. I was also asked to drop from a Bachelor degree to an Associate's to help with payments. I REFUSED, STATING "WHY WOULD I WANT TO CUT MY EDUCATION SHORT?" Also, having lost a family member just as my 2011 course year was beginning, AI offers counseling for students, which was a hotline that only prompts you to press 1 if you're thinking about suicide, which was the last thing I wanted to hear. Also, I have spoken with Bonnie Byrns, a loving heart, but she told me that there wasn't anything she could do to help my situation. I was later told if I wasn't able to find a co-signer, then I would be forced to leave the school on the grounds of non-payment. I was also forced to move out of campus housing due to non-payment and had to live in a camping tent for 4 months trying to reestablish my own place to live. It was a challenge, but I kept my attitude on life in a positive light. The loan companies are threatening wage garnishments. How is this possible when they are accomplices to a HUGE fraud scandal? This scandal has been recognized by the Supreme Court, who then took action against EDMC. Loan agency Sallie Mae, now Navient, was hand-in-hand with EDMC, handing out loans to anyone who asked. So what happened to the $11 BILLION? While a civil court case could prove punitive damages to the ones affected, the least I am asking for is the debt to be lifted for all those in attendance at the Art Institutes from 2003 to 2011. View these articles on the EDMC money scandal, read the comments people have made on these articles, sign the petition, and help out those who have been conned into this scheme. http://www.pdnonline.com/news/The-Art-Institutes--3531.shtml http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davidhalperin/edmc-professors-and-stude_b_1909449.html http://petapixel.com/2011/09/02/us-gov-sues-the-art-institutes-for-11-billion-fraud/ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/education/09forprofit.html?_r=0 http://www.studentsreview.com/specific_detail.php3?uid=3147 Quote from Huffington Post article: "Senator Tom Harkin's Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee calculates that 77.4 percent of EDMC's 2010 revenue came from U.S. Department of Education student financial aid." In 2012, an online petition was started by Vaughn Reynolds at Change.org. He sought to unite Art Institutes students at various campuses in opposition of the teacher layoffs,...

The Tyrone School Board wants to subcontract the 38 cafeteria employees who work in the Tyrone Public Schools. It is wrong for the school board to allow an out of town for profit corporation to make a profit off our students! And it is wrong to fire these dedicated employees!

Hospitals might be the only business in America that gets away with keeping their prices a secret. This prevents competition, drives up health care costs, and leaves consumers in the dark. Hospitals should post their actual prices on the web, just like every other business.

ITT-Technical Institute targeted veterans, low income families and single parents. We were promised a quality education, 80% job placement and that our credits would transfer to other colleges and universities. They forced many of us to pay on our loans while we were in school, after telling us we did not have to pay anything out of pocket until after we graduated. The school never gave us a chance to have control of our financial destiny; they failed to tell students before signing the enrollment agreement that their financial aide would be maxed out by the school. In order for a student to finish the program, they will have to take out the "Temp Credit" through the school at 0% interest until paid off; that was a lie. The school turned around and sold those loans to private lenders with interest rates ranging from 13%-28%; it's like funding your education on a credit card. These were terms set by the banks and the school without the student ever being notified. This is a violation of the Truth In Lending Act. Many students were forced to quit their programs before ever gaining their degrees, because they were misled. Others stuck it out, to find out that their degrees hold no value due to the accreditation, value of education and their reputation. We are students, family, friends and supporters that will not stop fighting to get these loans forgiven. Education should be free in the country, putting a end to the predatory lending and the poverty it is creating. "Our voices will be heard." We stand with you, Corinthian 100, Strength in Solidarity. https://www.facebook.com/groups/ITTTechnicalInstituteLawsuitWarriors/

This "school" targeted low income families single parents and veterans. They promised a quality education and job placement and that our credits would transfer to any college. Lies lies lies. The DOE has bailed this company out over and over again. However we are stuck with these worthless degrees. Please show your support. We have over 9 Attorneys General backing us and the consumer financial protection bureau. Thank you!

From the NBC News article: "Developers Confluence Partners want to provide the more than 5 million annual visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park with a new 420-acre attraction. Their plans for the canyon's rim include a multimedia complex with an IMAX theater, retail shops, hotels, an RV park and a gondola tram that would take visitors 1.6 miles to the canyon floor in ten minutes. Confluence Partners has also drawn up plans for a "Riverwalk" on the canyon floor that would include elevated connected walkways, a food pavilion, a tramway station, a terraced seating area and a wastewater package plant." Besides being a sacred place for many indian tribes, this is a pristine natural area that should remain in it's natural state. Please sign to tell the developer Confluence Partners to abandon their plan. http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/grand-canyon-development-plan-sparks-dispute-among-navajo-n302521 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/us/where-2-rivers-meet-visions-for-grand-canyon-clash.html?_r=1 http://savetheconfluence.com/

Amid an ongoing series of scandals in Albany, there is one easy step the New York Board of Elections can take right now to crack down on the culture of corruption. They can vote to close to the so-called "LLC loophole," which allows Wall Street bankers and real estate developers to evade contribution limits and funnel millions of dollars to the candidates of their choice.

After decades of promises from the biotech industry that genetically engineered (GE) food would feed the world, cure the sick, reduce agricultural dependence on toxic chemicals, and save countless crops from imminent collapse, USDA has just approved a product they think will solve a problem humans have struggled with for centuries… an apple that doesn’t brown when you slice it… Seriously; we couldn’t make this stuff up. While these GE apples are a waste of time and money, we don’t want to downplay the real concerns about them. Pre-sliced apples are actually a frequently recalled food product. Once the whole fruit is sliced, it has an increased risk of exposure to pathogens. Since browning is a sign that apples are no longer fresh, “masking” this natural signal could lead people to consume contaminated apples, which is why some folks are calling it the “botox apple.” Further, since FDA does no independent, pre-market safety testing of GE food there are several unanswered questions about the safety of GE apples. “Silencing” the genes that make apples turn brown when exposed to oxygen could have unintended consequences that will only be tested by hungry consumers. Although these “botox apples” are primarily targeted to the fresh-sliced apple market they could also find their way into non-GE juice, baby foods or apple sauce at the processing level, all products predominantly eaten by children and babies who are at increased risk for any adverse health effects. Like other GE products in the U.S., no mandatory labeling would be required. While Okanagan (the manufacturer) says they’ll require growers to label their whole apples as “Arctic variety,” the government has announced no plans to require labeling of these apples as GE. If approved, Okanagan’s non-browning “Arctic” apple would be first commercialized in Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties, with Fuji and Gala on the horizon. Even the apple industry has opposed this genetically engineered product. The U.S. Apple Association, Northwest Horticultural Council (which represents Washington apple growers, who grow over 60% of the apples in the U.S.), British Columbia Fruit Growers Association and other grower groups have already voiced their disapproval of these GE apples due to the negative impact they could have on farmers growing organic and non-GE apples through contamination, and to the image of the apple industry as a whole. McDonald’s, Wendy's, and Gerber have already indicated that they don’t plan to use these GE apples. If the apple industry doesn’t want GE apples, and consumers don’t want GE apples, who do these apples really benefit? As usual, this product only benefits the biotech industry and big food processing companies. Tell food companies parents do not want to feed their kids GE apples! We’ll send your signatures along with a letter to the top fast food restaurants, supermarkets, and food companies to secure commitments from them that they will not sell or use this risky new product.

Submit testimony here: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=GM&billnumber=820&year=2015 Time to call legislators. Take 5-10 mins tonight and just leave a voicemail: "Please oppose the Balfour nomination" Laura Thielen: 587-8388 Brickwood Galuteria 586-6740 Les Ihara 586-6250 Maile Shimabukuro 586-7793 Gil Riviere 586-7330 Sam Sloam 586-8420 Russell Ruderman 586-6890 Bill Balfour has voted on several key commission decisions that were later overturned by the Hawaii Supreme Court. No one else serving on the commission now has had their decisions overturned. Why bring back the failed views from the past?

There are now more horses confined to pens than running free on the ranges of public owned land. The cruel methods of helicopter roundups, penning wild horses all at taxpayer expense and controlling population by slaughter in Mexico must stop. There are other alternatives known and suggested to the BLM. Billionaire ranchers have received priority over PUBLIC LAND.

I am deeply concerned about the unrelenting use of pesticides on our food which now invades our water systems, including rain water. I want a planet, sky and ocean which hosts life rather than killing it for profit.